A portable icebox, or what is commonly called a “cooler,” is an apparatus that has become commonplace in today's society. A cooler, generally, is any container operable to prevent, or at least substantially retard, the transfer of energy into, or out of, the contents contained within a space defined by its walls. When one thinks about it, the applications for a container having the requisite properties to keep its contents at a given temperature, especially a cold temperature, are seemingly without limit.
In years past, portable coolers often took the form of a box with a lid, hinged or otherwise, having walls comprised of tin, aluminum, or some other metallic material of construction that could be fashioned around a rigid component having some modicum of insulating value, such as wood. The result was a somewhat waterproof shell fastened around an otherwise wooden box such that ice, water, and any contents having a requirement to be kept cold could be transported or stored without spoiling.
While the basic concept, and primary purpose, of a portable cooler hasn't changed much, the construction and preferred materials of construction certainly have. With the availability of Styrofoam (i.e., expanded polystyrene), the waterproofing aspects and insulating aspects of a cooler can be had with a single material of construction. Styrofoam is easily molded and inexpensive to the point that a user doesn't think twice about discarding the cooler after its use. Of course, the lack of durability for Styrofoam coolers greatly increases the probability that a user will, in fact, discard the product after only one or two uses. Further, presumably due to cost considerations, Styrofoam coolers usually have separable tops that are not hinged to the main body of the cooler, thus having a propensity to lose their tops and, simultaneously, their usefulness. At the inevitable point that a Styrofoam cooler has outlived its short, useful life, therein lays the main problem—responsible disposal.
From a technical standpoint, Styrofoam is recyclable. From practical and economical standpoints, however, Styrofoam products cannot be recycled. With current recycling technology, the cost to recycle Styrofoam products exceeds the value of the reclaimed raw material. Further, the process of recycling some Styrofoam products may cause the environmentally detrimental release of CFCs. Consequently, very few recycling programs, municipal or private, bother to accept Styrofoam products. As a result, Styrofoam products, such as Styrofoam coolers, find their way into landfills after being discarded and such is not desirable as Styrofoam is not biodegradable. Therefore, what is needed in the art is an inexpensive portable cooler being comprised of an environmentally responsible material that is accepted in a majority of community recycling programs. Further, what is needed in the art is a portable cooler comprised of a material that is generally known to biodegrade during prolonged exposure to the elements, should the cooler not be recycled by its user.
At the price point of a Styrofoam cooler, but far more environmentally suitable for disposal, is what amounts to a basic, single walled box structure made of waxed corrugated cardboard. Comprising an inexpensive, single use cooler device out of waxed cardboard is well known in the art. Similarly, a cooler device comprising a cardboard box with a separable waterproof liner component is also well known in the art. Promotional companies seeking to provide a cooler product with customized artwork and logos for specialized events often make use of printed cardboard boxes having either a wax treatment, or some other surface treatment, or separable liner for added resistance to water egress. The problem with such products, however, is that by the virtue of their single layer cardboard walls and/or thin separable liner, they lack durability and are prone to failure when used multiple times. Also, the insulating capabilities of typical cardboard coolers are inadequate as the R-factor associated with a given cooler is limited by the cardboard used in construction. As the overall thickness and design of the corrugated cardboard used to construct the box is limited by manufacturing and cost constraints, coolers made of a single layer of cardboard can only minimally inhibit the transfer of energy. Therefore, what is needed in the art is a cooler design that employs cellulose based recyclable materials of construction, or other recyclable materials of construction, and offers a means for providing R-values that exceed that of single walled cardboard based coolers already known in the art. Further, what is needed in the art is a cooler made of recyclable, cellulose based materials of construction, or other recyclable materials of construction, having an overall durability that makes it suitable for repeated use.
At the other end of the spectrum from Styrofoam coolers and basic corrugated boxes are the more expensive, and durable, plastic coolers with foam based insulating cores. Coolers that fall into this class are generally purchased for prolonged, repeated use and are available in a range of sizes and shapes with myriad features. Consequently, plastic coolers with all the associated features and designs are predictably expensive. Also, such coolers are not practical to customize with artwork for special events or promotions as the hard plastic exteriors are not well suited for printing. Further, while some types of plastics are accepted by typical recycling programs, plastic coolers are generally comprised of plastic types that are not considered economical to recycle. Moreover, plastic coolers known in the art are not biodegradable and, even if the components comprising a plastic cooler are technically, if not practically, recyclable, doing so would require deconstruction and separation of the components prior to transferring each to disparate recycling processes. Therefore, what is needed in the art is a portable cooler comprised of materials that are not only readily accepted by recycling programs, but are also easily customizable and printable. Further, what is needed in the art is a portable cooler having all components comprised of materials that may be recycled in a single recycling process.
Prior art for portable coolers are inadequate. They do not provide for a durable product that can withstand repeated uses, substantially inhibit energy transfer, be recycled by most recycling programs, and biodegrade if exposed to the elements for a prolonged time. The cellulose based recyclable container provides for these needs in the art, as well as other needs in the art, and is described in detail herein.